Being an artist and a human

Not every great artist is a great person. History has made that abundantly clear. We romanticize the tortured genius, the misunderstood visionary, the artist so consumed by their work that morality and kindness become secondary. But is that truly something to admire?

We are all human—flawed, imperfect, learning as we go. Talent and success do not excuse cruelty. Virtuosity does not justify arrogance. We have the power to create, to inspire, to shape the world through our art. But before we are artists, we are people. And what is the point of creating beauty if we fail to carry that same effort into how we treat others?

Mistakes are inevitable. Growth is a choice. In the end, the legacy we leave is not just in the music we play, the paintings we create, or the words we write—it is in how we live.